This application requests support to offset the costs associated with a consortium meeting entitled, "The Fourth Meeting of the International Consortium of Bladder Cancer", sponsored partially by the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Nov 29th-30th, 2010, at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The International Consortium of Bladder Cancer consists of 22 independent studies world-wide with over 9,800 cases and similar number of controls led by the top investigators in bladder cancer research encompassing the fields of clinical research, epidemiology, genetics, and basic science. With the rapid progress on genome-wide association study (GWAS), we have great challenges and opportunities lying ahead, for example, in the area of functional genomics, gene-gene and gene-environment interaction, comprehensive risk prediction model incorporating environmental and genetic risk factors, genetic predictors of clinical outcomes. The proposed meeting will be important and timely to the bladder cancer research community that will prompt leading bladder cancer researchers to face these challenges of post-GWAS era collectively. There are increasing needs for large sample sizes, standardized methods of sample processing, questionnaire development, data collection and analysis, mechanisms to rapidly replicate previously reported associations and pooling of comparable data on environmental and genetic risk factors across different studies, and comparable clinical data and endpoints for outcome study. With these challenges and basic needs in mind, we propose the following objectives for the meeting: 1) to promote collaborations to accelerate transdisciplinary research to move the findings from GWAS through pooled analyses of scan data, replication studies, evaluation of gene-environment interactions and pathway analyses, and biological validation through fine mapping and functional studies. This research should result in improvements of risk models and public health translation into preventive and screening programs;2) to promote collaborations to accelerate transdisciplinary research on GWAS for clinical outcomes and response to therapy, and translate these findings into improved therapeutic interventions;3) to coordinate the recruitment and collection of well-characterized populations of cases and controls using standardized methods of collection, storage, processing, and data collection, which will include detailed information on epidemiologic profiles, exposure and clinical outcome;4) to facilitate the pooling of data and sharing of biospecimen and data resources from independent studies;5) to provide a forum for the interchange of ideas and expertise to initiate new collaborative studies;6) to publish the proceedings as a resource for participants and other bladder cancer investigators. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Bladder cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer diagnosed in men and recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) has convincingly identified at least 3 genetic susceptibility loci for bladder cancer. Great challenges and opportunities lie ahead in the area of functional genomics, gene-gene and gene-environment interaction, comprehensive risk prediction model, and genetic predictors of clinical outcomes. The International Consortium of Bladder Cancer provides a unique platform to facilitate collaboration and advance science, and the proposed 4th meeting will be important and timely to the bladder cancer research community that will prompt leading bladder cancer researchers to face the challenges of post-GWAS era collectively.